Honduran ousted President Manuel Zelaya says that the U.S. brokered deal to restore his presidency has failed. He remains held-up in the Brazilian embassy.
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06:38 Mecca time, 03:38 GMT
Ousted president 'to exit' Honduras
Zelaya has been holed up in the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa since September
The ousted Honduran president, Manuel Zelaya, is to leave the country for exile to Mexico, sources have said.
Zelaya, who was forced to leave the country by the Honduran military in a June coup, has been holed up in the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa, the Honduran capital, since he slipped back into the country in September.
But a politician close to Zelaya told Reuters on Wednesday: "He is going to leave the country today. He is leaving of his own will".
A Mexican government source said that Zelaya would arrive in Mexico on Wednesday evening.
'Paperwork needed'
Craig Mauro, an Al Jazeera correspondent who has reported on the politicial events in Honduras, said: "There was a lot of activity around the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa where Zelaya has taken refuge for the last couple of months.
"There were reports that the number of security forces there have been doubled, and that Zelaya would be leaving to take asylum in Mexico," he said from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
“Since then there have been conflicting reports. Honduran aviation officials say that a plane is on the way from Mexico, and there are some reports from Mexico, quoting un-named sources, that he has been granted asylum.
"Zelaya has just spoken to a Venezuelan television network and he has neither confirmed nor denied that he would be seeking asylum."
Milton Mateo, a spokesman for the Honduran foreign ministry, said that Mexico had asked for a safe-conduct pass for Zelaya.
Mateo said that the pass had been signed and would be delivered to the Brazilian embassy, but in an interview with Honduran radio, Zelaya said that he did not yet have the documents that would allow him to leave the country.
Assurance sought
David Romero, director of Radio Globo, a station that supports Zelaya, said on Wednesday that the ousted leader was seeking some assurance from the de facto government that he would not be arrested if he left the Brazilian embassy.
Zelaya had been demanding his reinstatement since the coup but the country's congress voted against restoring him to power and fresh elections last month gave Porfirio Lobo the presidency.
Zelaya was forced into exile on June 28 after the supreme court, congress and business leaders said he acted against the constitution and tried to illegally extend limits to his term in office.
He has repeatedly denied this and pointed out that it would have been impossible to change the constitution before his term in office was complete.
Divisions in the Central American nation remain wide even after the election, which Zelaya's supporters boycotted.
Lobo, who was defeated by Zelaya in the 2005 election, has pledged to form a unity government and seek dialogue.
He is due to take office on January 27, when Zelaya's term officially ends.
Source: Al Jazeera and agencies
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